Plumb stick and guide for corner beading



March 3, 1964 s. A. MENDOLA 5 PLUMB STICK AND GUIDE FOR CORNER BEADINGFiled Sept 10, 1962 Illlllll nimok Hg v Sa/vafore AMenab/a BY 61%ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,123,352 PLUMB STICK AND GUIDE FOR CORNERREADING Salvatore A. Mendola, 813 Chestnut St., Bronx 67, N.Y. FiledSept. 10, 1962, Ser. No. 222,425 5 Claims. (Cl. 269-19) This inventionrelates to a plumb stick and guide for corner beading.

In constructing plaster walls, as is well-known, the plaster istrowelled onto lath, which latter is an open grid of metal secured tothe studding of the building At exterior corners, the lath is applied tothe studding as a corner beading comprising two sections of lath meetingat substantially right angles at a nose or bead.

In securing this corner beading to the corner studding, considerablecare must be taken to insure that the corner beading is installed in aperfectly plumb or vertical position, and also that the corner beadingis straight along its entire length, and not bowed or crimped. Such careis necessary in order that a high-quality plastering job may beobtained, as the plaster lines follow those of the lath beneath, and anout-of-plumb corner bead or a bowed corner bead will show in thefinished product.

Heretofore, the installation of straight, plumb corner beading was atedious time-consuming task. A skilled workman was required to make twoseparate plumbs of the corner bead, in two vertical planes, and was thenrequired to check the corner bead for straightness and to align the samewhere necessary, and then to recheck for plumb. Considering workingconditions at an average construction site, more often than not thecorner bead was subjected to some abuse and required straightening wheninstalled. In view of the relatively high hourly rates for skilledworkers in the construction industry, it seems apparent that any devicewhich expedites the construction operation satisfies, at least in part,a real need.

I have invented a plumb stick and guide for the installation of theaforementioned corner beading, which invention enables a single workmanto quickly install a straight corner beading in plumb position. Inactual trials, I have found that, in one day the average workman caneasily install with my invention, several times the number of linealfeet of corner beading that a skilled workman can install usingconventional methods.

Briefly, my invention comprises a rigid angle of length slightly lessthan the length of the corner beading to be installed, a number ofspring clips secured to the interior corner of the angle and spacedtherealong, the clips being adapted to grasp the nose of the cornerbeading, and levels in two directions secured to a convenient portion ofthe angle, as at eye-level.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide a plumb stick wherebycorner beading can readily be installed in true plumb position.

Another of the objects of my invention is to provide a guide wherebycorner beading can readily be installed in a perfectly straight linewithout being bowed or crimped.

A further object of my invention is to provide a plumb stick and guidewhereby corner beading can readily be installed in a straight plumbposition.

Still a further object of my invention is to provide a plumb stick andguide for corner beading whereby the said device can readily be removedfrom the corner beading after the latter has been secured to the cornerstudding.

Yet another object of my invention is to provide means for securing thelevels to the plumb stick and corner guide, which means also furnishes aconvenient handle to grip the plumb stick and corner guide.

3,123,352- Patented Mar. 3, 1964 Other and further objects of myinvention will become apparent during the course of the followingdescription.

Referring now to the drawing, wherein like numerals represent like partsin the several views:

FIGURE 1 represents a front view in elevation of the plumb stick andcorner guide.

FIGURE 2 represents an enlarged section in plan, taken along the line 22of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 represents an enlarged section in plan, taken along the line3-3 of FIGURE 1, showing the corner beading in phantom.

FIGURE 4 represents an enlarged section in elevation, taken along theline 44 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 5 represents a side view in elevation of the plumb stick andcorner guide, as seen from the left of FIGURE 1, showing a modificationof my invention.

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged partial view in elevation of the bracket,showing more clearly one of the levels.

The plumb stick and guide is seen as comprising rigid angle member 1which, in the preferred embodiment, may be slightly less than the lengthof the corner beading that is to be installed. In typical constructiontoday, the length of the corner bead may approximate some eight feet.

Screws 2 are spaced along the length of angle member 1, as shown inFIGURE 1, and extend through the vertex of the said angle 1 and throughspring clips 3', the latter being securely held in place against theinner walls of angle member 1 by means of nuts 4 bearing against thebases of the spring clips 3 and threaded to screws 2.

The particular method disclosed herein of securing spring clips 3 to theangle member 1 is to be understood as illustrative only. Other equallygood methods of securing spring clips 3 to the angle member 1 willimmediately occur to those familiar with the art.

Bracket 5 is secured to angle member 1 at a convenient elevation,preferably adjacent the eye level. As shown, bracket 5 is secured to theexterior sides of the angle member 1, and provides faces in at least twoperpendicular vertical planes to which levels 6 are fastened. Forconvenience, levels 6 are provided at both sides of the corner beading7, as well as in front thereof, permitting the said corner beading 7 tobe plumbed by a workman from either side thereof.

Bracket 5, as seen in FIGURE 2, is open, and thereby provides aconvenient grip for a workman.

In the use of my invention, the workman first applies the spring clips 3to the nose of the corner beading 7. As the spring clips 3 are rigidlyheld in alignment by angle member 1, it will be seen that the cornerbeading 7 when gripped by the spring clips 3 will also be in alignmentand straight for substantially the entire length thereof.

The workman then holds the plumb stick and guide, and the corner beading7 gripped thereby, against the corner studding, the corner beading 7being adjacent the said corner studding. As he checks the levels forplumb and adjusts the plumb stick and guide accordingly, he nails thecorner beading 7 to the corner studding. When the corner beading 7 issecurely nailed to the studding, the workman pulls the plumb stick andguide towards him, preferably by means of the bracket 5, and the springclips 3 release their grasp on the nose of the corner beading 7, thelatter being left in a straight plumb position on the corner studding.

In the modification of my invention shown in FIG- URE 5, eyelets 8 aresecured, as by welding or other suitable means, to the upper and lowerends of angle member 1. String 9 is stretched taut and secured to thesaid eyelets 8 so as to extend parallel to angle member 1, being spacedtherefrom a small distance, approximately 4 /2 inch from the vertex ofangle member 1 or from 3 the heads of screws 2, the said stringextending through the area bounded by bracket 5.

The purpose of string 9 is to indicate, visually, any deviation from astraight line of the angle member 1.

Sometimes the corner to which the beading is to be secured is notperfectly straight, being bowed inwardly or outwardly relative to theworkman. When angle member 1 is of substantial length, it may bend dueto its inherent flexibility, during the installation of the beading '7,thereby permitting a similar bend in the said beading '7. The workmanneed only eye string 9 in relation to angle member 1 or in relation tothe heads of screws 2, and can immediately detect any flexing of theangle memher 1.

In using the modification of FIGURE 5, the workman, in addition tochecking the levels 6 for plumb while installing the corner beading '7,also takes care during the said installation to see that string 9remains taut and parallel to the angle member 1.

While I have shown the best embodiments of my invention now known to me,I do not wish to be limited to the exact structures shown and describedherein, but may use such modifications or equivalents thereof as arepointed out in the specification or as are embraced within the scope ofthe claims herein.

1 claim:

1. A plumb stick and guide for installing corner beading, comprising:

(a) an elongated member adapted to extend lengthwise of the cornerbeading for substantially the length of said corner beading,

(b) a plurality of gripping means spaced along the length of said memberand secured thereto, each of said gripping means being releasablyengageable with said corner beading, and

() string means secured at both ends to said member to extend tautbetween the ends of said member in spaced parallel relation thereto.

2. A plumb stick and guide for installing corner beading, comprising:

(a) an elongated member adapted to extend length- Wise of the cornerbeading for substantially the length of said corner beading,

(b) a plurality of gripping means spaced along the length of said memberand secured thereto, each of said gripping means being releasablyengageable with said corner beading,

(0) level indicator means secured to said member, and

(d) string means secured at both ends to said memher to extend tautbetween the ends of said member in spaced parallel relation thereto.

3. A plumb stick and guide for installing corner beading, comprising:

(a) an elongated member adapted to extend lengthwise of the cornerbeading for substantially the length of said comer beading,

(b) a plurality of spring clips secured to said member adjacent the endsthereof and at spaced points intermediate the ends thereof, said springclips being ard ranged in alignment, said spring clips being releasablyengageable with said corner beading,

(0) string means secured at both ends to said member to extend tautbetween the ends of said member in spaced parallel relation thereto,

(d) bracket means secured to said member and encircling said stringmeans, said bracket means defining a hand grip, and

(e) level indicator means secured to said bracket means.

4. A plumb stick and guide for installing corner beading, comprising:

(a) an angle member adapted to extend lengthwise of the corner beadingfor substantially the length of said corner beading,

(b) an interior surface, an exterior surface and a vertex on said anglemember,

(0) a plurality of spring clips secured to the interior surface of saidangle member and spaced therealong, said spring clips being arranged inalignment, said spring clips being releasably engageable with saidcorner beading,

(0!) string means secured at both ends to said angle member to extenttaut between the ends of said an gle member adjacent the exteriorsurface thereof and in spaced parallel relation to the vertex thereof,and

(e) level indicator means secured to said angle member.

5. A plumb stick and guide for installing corner beading, comprising:

(a) an angle member adapted to extend lengthwise of the corner beadingfor substantially the length of said corner beading,

(b) an interior surface, an exterior surface and a vertex on said anglemember,

(0) a plurality of spring clips secured to the interior surface of saidangle member and spaced therealong, said spring clips being arranged inalignment, said spring clips being releasably engageable with saidcorner beading,

(d) string means secured at both ends to said angle member to extendtaut between the ends of said angle member adjacent the exterior surfacethereof and in spaced parallel relation to the vertex thereof,

(2) bracket means secured to said angle member and encircling saidstring means, said bracket means defining a hand grip, and

(f) level indicator means secured to said bracket means References Citedin the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

1. A PLUMB STICK AND GUIDE FOR INSTALLING CORNER BEADING, COMPRISING:(A) AN ELONGATED MEMBER ADAPTED TO EXTEND LENGTHWISE OF THE CORNERBEADING FOR SUBSTANTIALLY THE LENGTH OF SAID CORNER BEADING, (B) APLURALITY OF GRIPPING MEANS SPACED ALONG THE LENGTH OF SAID MEMBER ANDSECURED THERETO, EACH OF SAID GRIPPING MEANS BEING RELEASABLY ENGAGEABLEWITH SAID CORNER BEADING, AND